The Name of a Soul
by Neellok
Summary: Ichigo's Soulmate Mark flashed hot. That's why she hadn't been able to find him? He was in freaking Soul Society?


**Zaraki Kenpachi /Kurosaki Ichigo**

* * *

Eight-year-old Kurosaki Ichigo stared at the design on her hip. During school that day, Abe Kotoko had made fun of her birthmark. Ichigo scowled when she remembered the taunting words and the laughter that followed. Ichigo wished she could have punched the girl in the face. A broken nose would have made her look much better. It would have matched her ugly personality.

The only thing that stopped her was the thought of being expelled. She had already been in two fights since the beginning of the school year, and her mom would throw a fit, if Ichigo got expelled from Elementary School. Her violent reputation was already well known among the neighborhood, though Ichigo only started fight to protect someone weaker than her. Ichigo would never become a bully. It was her job to protect not destroy.

Ichigo tugged her shirt down and stalked down the stairs. She ignored the sound of her mother humming from the kitchen and knocked on the door leading to her dad's office in the family clinic. A vague answer greeted her as she opened the door. Ichigo's scowl deepened when she noticed the amount of paperwork on her dad's desk. He would have to work straight through dinner again. Mom would be angry.

"What's wrong, Ichigo?" her dad asked. Ichigo was thankful that he hadn't brought out the full dramatics of his personality. She almost bolted from the room when she thought about his response. She needed answers, though. She was tired of the name calling.

"Is my birthmark ugly?" Ichigo demanded, still annoyed at the girl in her class. She'd looked at the birthmark every day for over six years, and not once did she think it was hideous! It looked similar to a tattoo—the swirl of black ink dancing across her skin in characters and symbols. How could something so graceful be ugly?

Isshin stared at her in shock, his knuckles white as he clutched the pen tighter and tighter. "Who said it was ugly?" he asked.

Ichigo blinked at the quiet tone. Her dad normally bellowed or burst into fake tears. The fact that he was taking her serious surprised her. A shudder raced down her spine when she noticed his eyes. They were cold—colder than she had ever seen them. He looked dangerous; powerful, almost. "Uh, doesn't matter." If she wanted to break Kotoko's nose, she didn't want to know what her dad wanted to do. "Just answer the question."

"No, I don't think it's ugly," he whispered. He ran a hand through his hair and sat back in his computer chair. He watched her for a few minutes and then sighed when Ichigo didn't leave. "It—"

"Isn't just a birthmark is it?" she asked. It couldn't be. No birthmark ever looked like this. It was to pretty. And whenever she traced it, warmth would encompass her from head to toe. It felt like being wrapped in a blanket fresh from the dryer.

"No. It's something special."

Ichigo wanted to demand more answers. She wanted to know why other little girls didn't have one. Was she special because she had one? Ichigo knew that if she pushed anymore he would clam up. He was good at changing the subject. It had taken her months to catch onto his schemes. She wasn't in the mood for any of that tonight.

"Dinner's almost done, Goat-Face. Better hurry up," Ichigo quipped. Ichigo had been trying to get her dad to shave off his beard for months. It was scratchy and made her itch. She hated it. The only reason why he kept it was Yuzu. She loved pulling on his beard, and for some reason, her dad was foolish enough to let her.

"Are you sure you—?"

"You'll only lie," Ichigo retorted. "I can wait."

—X—

Ichigo hated everything. She hated the blue sky. Ichigo hated the green grass. She hated the cheery songs that people sang at school. She hated the lunch her dad tried to fix for her in the morning. But most of all, she hated herself. How could she have been so stupid?

Ichigo curled up under her covers and bawled into her pillow. Her mom was dead. Killed by a monster. Ichigo was supposed to protect her. That was why she went to the karate dojo every day after school. Ichigo ignored the light knock on her door. She didn't want to face her dad. He had told her over and over again that it hadn't been her fault. She could tell he was lying. His right hand would always fist his pant leg.

"Ichigo, please, come to dinner."

"I'm not hungry," she bellowed. Ichigo didn't want to sit at the table and wonder when her mom was coming home, only to remember that she was gone. Dead. Six feet under. In a cemetery. A small part of her wished that her mom had stayed a ghost. Maybe then the pain wouldn't crush her with every breath. Ichigo was a horrible daughter.

—X—

Ichigo carefully scooped more food onto the spoon and put it in Karin's mouth. Karin had gotten sick a few days ago and Ichigo was exhausted. Her dad still had to run the clinic. Yuzu wasn't allowed in the room on the off chance that she caught the sickness too. The crying from the other room broke Ichigo's heart. She knew that Yuzu only wanted to hug her twin sister.

"One more," Ichigo coaxed.

Karin pushed the spoon away, spilling the soup onto the hardwood floor. "NO!"

Ichigo grabbed the spoon and rushed from the room. She set the food on the counter and collapsed on the kitchen floor. She missed her mom. Karin and Yuzu used to always listen to their mom. Ichigo wrapped her arms around her knees and cried. She was a poor excuse for their mother.

—X—

"Soulmates."

Ichigo mentally cursed when her pencil lead snapped. She looked up from her homework at her dad. He was standing in the doorway looking as if he were about to cry. She wanted to hug him but they both forgot how years ago. Ichigo blinked in shock when she noticed he hadn't shaved. He was trying to grow his beard again—he shaved for the funeral. He hadn't grown it back until now.

"Your birthmark means that you have a Soulmate. Only a few people in existence have them."

Ichigo swallowed the lump of emotions clogging her throat. After years of silence and no answers, he finally decided to tell her. A Soulmate. "Was Mom your Soulmate?"

He smiled bitterly. "No. She wasn't."

Ichigo felt something break inside her chest as she lost another thing in common with her mother. She couldn't remember her laugh anymore or the smell of her perfume. Her mom was fading from her memory no matter how hard she tried.

—X—

Isshin carefully bandaged her bloody and skinned knuckles. "You need to take better care of yourself, Ichigo."

Ichigo scowled at the reprimand. "It wasn't my fault. People just don't listen. It wasn't as if I wanted to break his face, okay, maybe I did. But he started it! He criticized my hair." Ichigo knew as soon as that guy opened his mouth she'd punch him. She normally didn't care what people said about her. Ichigo was laid back unless you insulted her friends or family. Today had been too much. Orange was the closest thing to brown. And Ichigo wanted to look like her mother when she got older more than anything.

"I understand that. But you have someone that needs you. You can't just jump into trouble because someone makes you mad. What if you'd gotten seriously hurt?" he demanded as he tied the ends into a small knot.

"Yuzu and Karin are fine, Dad," Ichigo said. She flexed her hand, trying to get a feel for when the pain stopped and began.

"I'm talking about your Soulmate," Isshin countered. He slumped at her defiant expression. "They are waiting for you, Ichigo."

"I don't even know who he is! Why does it matter? " Ichigo protested. She wanted to find them. Ichigo wanted to see who her Soulmate was. Her dad hadn't given her much information, but she knew enough and guessed some more. A Soulmate would never leave her. She wanted that.

"Because it does. You matter, Ichigo. He matters. It's just how it's always going to be. Now for the sake of my sanity, please, please, please, take care of yourself. I don't want you getting hurt."

Ichigo drew in a sharp breath. She knew what he meant. He truly meant the words, but she couldn't stop adding;_ or getting someone else hurt in the process._ She cringed at the thought of costing someone else their life. "Okay."

—X—

Ichigo tried to stop fighting. She fought the instincts to defend herself and others around her. She failed. Epically. Eventually she gave up. Ichigo sketched the lettering from her Soulmate Mark on a piece of notebook paper. Nozarashi—weather beaten one. It fit Ichigo perfectly.

—X—

Ichigo dodged her dad's punch. Ever since he asked her to stop fighting, he'd started attacking her at random times during the day. Karin freaked and hit him with a broom until he confessed that he was gauging Ichigo's fortitude. It made Karin hit him even more. Ichigo took the broom away, thanked Karin for worrying about her, and yelled at him for over an hour. Just because he didn't want her to get into fights at school didn't mean he could scare her little sisters. After Karin left, Ichigo agreed to practice with him if he made sure that Karin and Yuzu wouldn't caught in the cross fire. He agreed.

—X—

"Hey, Old Man. I'm going to be gone for a while. I've got something to take care of." Ichigo said as she walked into the living room. She knew it was sudden. He had gotten used to her disappearing for a day or two. Ichigo knew she would be gone much longer than that and she didn't want him to call the cops.

Isshin's face paled. "What? NO! You can't leave me! Masaki, our daughter is leaving me. She doesn't love me anymore."

Ichigo sighed. Why did he have to pull this now? "My friend's in trouble," She yelled, hoping to gain his attention. She continued when he stopped professing his sorrows to the poster of her dead mother. "I-I have to do this."

Isshin sighed as he stared at his daughter. He placed his hands on her shoulders and stared into her determined eyes. "I know. Be safe."

Ichigo blinked at the sudden change in attitude. She still wasn't used to his mood swings. Ichigo quirked a grin. "Of course." She didn't tell him how long she would be gone. Ichigo also _forgot_ to inform him that she would be going to Soul Society to rescue a Shinigami arrested for treason. He didn't need to know any of that.

"And tell Urahara that if you don't make it back, I'll kill him," Isshin threatened.

Ichigo's breath caught. He knew Urahara Kisuke. "How?"

Isshin shook his head. "It's a very long story, and you don't have much time. The Captain-Commander isn't a patient man."

Ichigo wanted to demand more information but he was right. She was running out of time. Urahara almost hadn't allowed her to come home. Now she understood why.

"Hey, Ichigo."

"Yeah?"

Isshin smiled at her. "While you're there… Keep your eyes and ears open. You never know who you might find."

Ichigo's Soulmate Mark flashed hot. That's why she hadn't been able to find him? He was in freaking Soul Society?

—X—

"Only female Shinigami have them? Are you sure?" Ichigo asked Matsumoto Rangiku. Ichigo shifted on the pillow Rangiku had given her to sit on. They both decided that it would be a great night to stay at home and talk.

She watched the blond pour another cup of sake and throw it back with ease. Ichigo knew she'd done the smart thing and denied the alcohol, but she knew that Rangiku would have a terrible hangover tomorrow and be useless for paperwork. Toshiro would be furious.

"Yeah." Rangiku sighed as she rubbed the nape of her neck. "I take it you haven't found your Soulmate, yet?"

Ichigo blushed and then frowned. She'd been searching Soul Society for years and she still hadn't been able to find him. "No." Maybe he didn't care, or maybe she just hadn't looked hard enough. She laughed bitterly. Who was she kidding? She even looked through the slums, hoping to find the one person she wanted to meet. Why couldn't she find him?

"That might be good," Rangiku muttered with a lost expression. "Sometimes it's better to not know who're meant to be with."

"Gin?" Ichigo asked softly.

Rangiku shook her head. "I wish. If only it were that easy." Rangiku took a sip. "Shiba Kaien. Too stupid to do anything about it."

Ichigo knew little about her cousin. Only what Kuchiki Rukia and Ukitake Juushiro had told her. From what she did know, he would have been the perfect match for Rangiku. Aizen Sousuke always messed up everything good in the world. She was glad he died.

"Well at the rate I'm going, I'm never going to even meet mine. Then we can be lonely and bitter together," Ichigo offered.

Rangiku snorted. "The thought of you ending up alone is ridiculous. You'll find him. Hey! Wait, I've lived here for… a while why don't you tell me the name. I might be able to help you."

Ichigo's heart soared. Why hadn't she thought of that in the first place? It wasn't forbidden to say your Soulmate's name after all. "Nozarashi." Please let her know! Please.

Rangiku's face scrunched up in concentration. She slumped. "I'm sorry. I don't know any Zanpakuto by that name."

Wait. "It's his Zanpakuto?" Ichigo scowled. All this time she'd been looking through Shinigami names when she should have been reading about their Zanpakuto! She thought the guy's name had been Nozarashi. Ichigo vowed to punch her dad the next time she saw him. He could have told her!

—X—

Ichigo slinked out of the Academy to avoid the loud exclamations of love and pick up lines. If she had known that attending one class of Zanjutsu would result in love sick students she would have told the Captain-Commander to shove it. She only agreed because Ichigo knew that some of the students had achieved Shikai and she hoped that Nozarashi would be among them.

Ichigo raced through the streets and stopped when she couldn't' hear their voices anymore. She knew that her Soulmate had to be strong. The Soul King would not match her with a weak Shinigami. But she was tired. She had been searching for over ten years. He still wasn't found and she was wondering if he ever would be.

—X—

Ichigo danced out of the way as the enemy's sword sliced toward her chest. If she had been one second slower, she would have been cut in twain. Rage burst forth as she pulled her Hollow mask over her face. Her mind went quiet as she attacked her opponent with full force. Blood sprayed her Shihakusho and drenched her feet. She twisted away from the falling body and turned to the next.

Ichigo cried out when her Soulmate Mark roared with heat. She gasped and darted to the left barely avoiding the strike. Her knees felt weak and her hands wooden as she continued to fight. Something was different. Her mark used to spark sometimes, but never had she felt such an inferno. It consumed her completely. The heat was intense.

Ichigo felt darkness creep along the edge of her vision. No! She didn't want to die! She couldn't die. She pushed her way through the shock. She barely felt the sword cut into her shoulder. If she didn't do something… her mind flashed to when she was a little child asking her dad if Masaki was his Soulmate. She remembered the agony engraved in his face and soul. She didn't want the wielder of Nozarashi to feel the same way.

Ichigo felt her precious blood dripping down her arm making it slick. She swayed left and right as she tried to keep up. She would die in a matter of minutes. Gasping for breath as her knees gave way Ichigo plummeted toward the ground.

Strong arms protected her and cradled her close to a muscular chest. She leaned into the embrace. One she had felt many times over the past few years. The familiar sound of tinkling bells brought a smile to her face. Zaraki Kenpachi.

"Drink, Nozarashi."

Ichigo blacked out to the sound of screams and an amused chuckle.

—X—

Ichigo waited from him to visit her in the Fourth Division. He didn't.

—X—

Three days after the battle, Ichigo threw off her covers and carefully got out of bed. She was still sore but she wasn't willing to wait any longer. She finally knew who her Soulmate was. She wasn't going to wait around. That was stupid. She assumed that he would visit. Zaraki always visited in the past and challenged her to a sword fight hours after she was healed. Why was this any different?

Ichigo's Reiatsu flared the closer she got to the Eleventh Division. She knew Unohana Retsu would force her back into bed. She wasn't completely better. Ichigo knew she was healthy enough to talk to Zaraki. If talking involved a fight and lots of yelling, well, surely the healer would understand.

Ichigo landed in front of Zaraki. She didn't care that almost half of the division had stopped practicing. They would have broken a building anyway. She watched him with heavy eyes. He seemed calmer—like he knew himself and who he was. "You didn't visit."

"I know. Been kinda busy lately," Zaraki said.

Liar. He was avoiding her. "Coward." Ichigo knew she was stepping over a line. No one could call Zaraki Kenpachi a coward and live. "If you're pissed off that I got injured, then get over it. I'm a warrior. I get hurt sometimes."

Zaraki sneered. "No one but me is allowed to spill your blood, Ichigo. You broke our agreement."

Ichigo scoffed. Really? He was angry because she broken their unspoken agreement. It wasn't as if she purposely stepped on the battlefield and yelled, "Come and get me! I want to die."

"Fine. I admit that I was distracted," Ichigo allowed. If Zaraki had figured out his sword's name when he first received it, everything could have been avoided. But no, he had to do it during a battle!

"Then you're an idiot. Distractions kill people. I thought you were stronger than that."

Ichigo rushed him. She didn't care if anyone tried to stop her, though they knew better than to try. Ichigo attacked him every bit of rage, sorrow, and disappointment that had been bottled up since she first understood what a Soulmate was. He was her other half. And because of his stupid stubbornness he kept them apart.

She felt her shoulder give under a heavy strike. She pressed on. Ichigo knew that Zaraki understood her better than anyone. They fought together and against each other. They worked perfectly together because Zaraki could read Ichigo's soul. Tears fell down her cheeks when she felt the first stirrings of emotion from his blade. It was the first time Ichigo had felt any emotion other than death and hunger. For the first time since she met Zaraki Kenpachi, she could hear and see his soul. It was beautiful.

Ichigo lowered one of her swords when she noticed the shock and glee in his expression. "I'm strong, Kenpachi. I can take care of myself and I don't need you to be there to save me. But I want you there anyway. I knew the moment that you heard her name. I'm selfish—very selfish. I have been looking for you for a very long time and I refuse to let you go. Even if I have to defeat you, take your place as Captain of the Eleventh Division, and appoint you as my Lieutenant."

Zaraki laughed long and hard. "I would love to see you try. Loser buys dinner."

Ichigo smirked at his response. He was perfect. The influx of bloodlust blanketed the training area as she hefted Zangetsu. It would be a long battle, she would probably lose and get reamed out by Unohana, but she wouldn't want it any other way. "I always thought I'd look fabulous in white." Ichigo took a deep breath and then pounced.


End file.
